The Plough & Harrow is a very old pub situated on an old Roman and London Road. It used to be an…read moreold coaching inn, and still has the old fabulous stables, redone and adding a touch of history to the place. A few years ago it was partially ruined in a flood, but the rebuild has gone a long way to making it one of the best pubs in Tamworth. It has a very large garden, lots of tables, a canopy and outside braziers for nice but chilly spring evenings. The inside has low ceilings, exposed beams and magnolia walls. It's a nice, comfy old English pub feel, but without the tatty standard maroon carpet. There aren't many tables inside, so standing is pretty much a must. The Plough & Harrow gets really busy on weekend nights, and is a haven to the young and trendy Tamworth set (you didn't know they existed, did you?) before they go on to a club. The music is pretty decent, through speakers, and so loud on weekends that talking inside isn't very plausible. The P&H also have a very nice restaurant attached, which I haven't been to, but have heard very positive reviews about -- it's mainly Italianish food with a modern twist. The pub grub here is very good, with some different things (Cajun Chicken Sandwich, YUM), and with excellent chips. I can't rave enough about these chips, which are nearly potato wedges, nicely cooked with delicious seasoning. The main bartender/manager is a really friendly guy, and all the staff are pretty chatty and nice. They often have fun activities, both for adults in the evening and families at the weekends, like an American 4th of July party (yay!), and festivals. They provide accomodation, which some of my friends from the US took advantage of when they came over for my wedding. The rooms are all refurbished and nicely laid out, with comfy beds and decent WCs. Nothing astonishing, exccept when you consider the SUPER CHEAP price. The rooms are all a bit off from the pub, so the noise level also isn't too bad.

We followed a Qype recommendation to the Plough & Harrow when we were driving up the M42 and needed…read moreto stop for dinner. We're glad we bothered to go a little bit off the motorway, as it was a lovely place to stop. The food was excellent- a wide variety of pub favourites and more unusual stuff at reasonable prices. The atmosphere was friendly and fairly warm, it was all beautifully clean and quite cosy inside, and it was easily worth spending the 10 minutes driving that it took to get away from Tamworth motorway services. Recommended.

Great food, always freshly made and some lovely cakes. You can eat in or take away. Its not too…read moreexpensive, so a nice lunchtime eatery. It can get a bit busy but theres usually seating available. It is suitable for pushchairs but can be a bit of a squeeze. Try the floats theyre yummy.

A brief visit to Coleshill and I find myself requiring some caffeine, yelp is a bit thin on the…read moreground for coffee shops here so thought I'd add a new business to the network and take a gamble - it paid off. Brownies is a fairly small (might seat 10 at a push) independent coffee and tea room. It seemed like a good place to try as all the seats were full and people were still walking in - obviously earned itself a loyal clientèle! Tea and coffee choices although fairly standard (mocha, latte, cappuccino, espresso and americano plus English breakfast or fruit teas) were well executed and hit the spot, but this isnt why they had the five stars, that was down to the extra goodies. I was feeling peckish and happened upon bread pudding! I'm not sure how many readers of this will be aware of bread pudding but it was certainly a homely desert growing up and needless to say this did not disappoint! The addition of homemade pastries and veggie / vegan cakes also scored brownie points - excuse the pun :P All in all if I'm in this neck of the woods again I know where my caffeine fix will be!

How can the makers of the very fine "Manwich" not have any reviews indeed? It's definitely time to…read morechange that... I first came across Barny and Flic's very fine van and it's offerings on my first trip to Digbeth Dining Club. Their beautiful green behemoth of a van offers Toasties... Nothing more, nothing less. Now, that might sound a little boring; but read on my dear friends! Let's start with the Manwich... As taken from their website: "The only toastie whose consumption deems you to be worthy of nothing less that the eternal reverence of your peers. A triple-decker leviathan of bacon, pastrami, ham, chorizo, cheddar, mozzarella, monterey jack, onions, hot sauce and, of course, a 28 day aged 4oz Warwickshire steak." Sounds good right? It IS. You WON'T be hungry after this. They have less mega offerings and deal with locally sourced meats, cheeses and (of course) veggie offerings. If you aren't content with just savoury; they have also offered sweet toasties when I have visited. Think thick slabs of bread with chocolate spread, marshmellows, peanut butter.... You get the idea. Don't worry, my mouth is watering too (this is a really bad review to write when you're on a diet). The guys who run the van are great! On one visit to see the Jabberwocky, we had a natter about why they got started... Basically, to escape the daily grind the guys decided to be their own bosses and bought the truck, designed their menu and now wing their way around Leamington Spa and Birmingham dealing out delicious toasties to the hungry crowds at streetfood events and markets. As a side note, I believe you can also hire them to come and cater for your event... I don't think you would have any disappointed guests with these guys doing the food! A Manwich (from memory) was about £7/£8 - but was a beast of a meal. Other offerings start from around £6 and the dessert offerings are even less. If you haven't tried these guys before, go and say hi to Barny and Flic! You might just fall in love with this foodstuff of kings all over again...

Think of toasties as a dodgy Breville made snack from the 80's? You haven't eaten from The…read moreJabberwocky. Run by a couple who are focused on providing a delicious, locally sourced toastie assault on the taste buds. Well known for their triple deckers like The Manwich and Old McDonald which are packed with combinations of meats and cheese that you can only dream of. They've even put a whole Christmas dinner in a toastie! It doesn't stop there though there's also pudding! Think about Millionaires shortbread , Rocky Road or even good old banoffee. They've all been given the toastie treatment. So next time you spot the Jabberwocky van, head over and order the biggest toastie you can muster. You will not be disappointed! In fact you'll be hooked!

I was in town, and it was sunday, so the only thing to do was a Sunday Supper. I spent some time…read morelooking up restaurants and looking at menus. I wanted to find something that looked authentic at a decent price. After taking a bit of a walk I found The Sun On The Hill. it was quiet inside, not too many people, but the young lady at the bar was welcoming with a smile and helpful. I grabbed the table and after looking at the menu, I went to the bar and placed my order. Being new to Birmingham, i've quickly figured out that many of these places our pretty much self serve, and pay as you go. I'm okay with that once I figured it out. The choices were Beef, Chicken, Pork, or Vegan, and I chose the pork. The serving came with vegetables a pudding, and covered in a proper gravey. it was cooked well and there was more than enough. I did enjoy my first english sunday supper and would recommend this place for someone looking for a good meal at a reasonable price.

I only have fond memories about previous visits to "The Sun On The Hill", but it's just not one of…read morethose places I visit very regularly. During a catch up over cocktails with Elite Adam S last night, he mentioned that this venue had received a bit of a makeover recently. As it was just over the road from Bodega (the chosen Cocktail venue for the evening), we decided to pay the cheque and wander on over to check it out. First thing to note, it's not that different. You're not going to wander in and be astonished in a "changing rooms" stylee, but it does look smarter. I love the renewed signage on the door and the little design touches in this smart City pub. It's been a while since I had visited, but I did notice that they seemed to have more cask ale on offer than I remembered them having. I went for a pint of "New World" whilst Adam had a glass of the ole faithful "Mad Goose" (with Purity being a fairly local brewery an' all). I do love the mixed seating here. We sat on a table with high stools, but there were comfy booths in the main bar, a sofa area near the door, bar stools and further tables up a level on the mezzanine. It would make a great venue as a "pre-club" stop, a drink with friends, a casual date or even just a swift afterwork pint! Now, I didn't try the food here but I noticed the menu has been updated (as per The Sun At The Station - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/the-station-birmingham). They are also offering a "Half Price Food On Mondays" offer until the end of October, so I will try and pop in and catch that to give a more round review of the venue. This is a smart city pub, with a bit of a "younger" and "funkier" feel to it than many of it's nearest neighbours. It plays a good selection of music and has a welcoming and friendly vibe. If you haven't popped in before, make a date to grab a pint with a friend and check out this cool venue.

The stopgap between greasy spoons and expensive fancy cafes. This is more upmarket than a lot of…read morecafes, with modern decor and fresh ground tasty coffee, but still quite cheap really, especially in comparison to some of the other pricey cafes in town.

This pub in Birmingham was the most fun we had of the many chain pubs in the UK…read more It didn't hurt that the Wales v England Rugby was blasting away. It was a lively crowd that was in full conspicuous consumption. One would expect a long wait for the food. Not so! So you like Fish & Chips? At £5.75 the portions were generous and fresh tasting. But that's not all. For the Ultimate Fish & Chips try adding cheese and bacon (+80p) on the chips. The only downside -- that is endemic with most UK pubs -- is those infernal condiment packages. My suggestion is that you pick up your favorite chili sauce to spice everything up. The special moment was watching an elderly couple lovingly share a monster sundae in the fracas. I noted that there wasn't a "happy hour" here. The sign outside says it all: "At The Windsor we don't have a Happy Hour, we have Happy Days! It was the truth, prices here are cheapest around but the selection and quality are first rate. Huge menue and even a respectable Birmingham curry selection. The selection of local and regular brews was one of the largest we seen out of over 30 pubs. Most pints were around £3

Okay so before we start I have to review this place based on price and it's a pretty affordable…read moreplace to eat. The Windsor is situated just off new street , up a cute , old fashioned street. You'll find it tucked away opposite Toni and guy. When we were seated I found that the music was too loud , although they were top classics and my friend was having the time of his life listening to them. I could even go as far to say he was having a boogie to himself. The service was good , the lady was really polite and I got everything I asked for- I ordered the meaty mixed grill. The food took about 20 mins to come out but I found my steak was cooked throughly whereas I asked for it to be cooked medium rare. What went well - polite bar staff , plenty of condiments and good food for a reasonable place Even better if - they turned the music down a bit , placed more lights ( as I feel it gets quite dark in there ) and make sure the steak is cooked the way that was requested.

Further proof that simplicity should never be underrated, the Coffee Room is as good for a morning…read morebeverage or pre-theatre bite to eat as it is for a dose of coffee or pre-drinks ahead of a big night out in Arcadian or around Hurst Street. The spacious and pleasant self-appointed 'bar and bistro' is a great addition to the Chinatown lineup, as it offers something different to the generic bars and clubs and perfectly complements the Hippodrome over the road. Whenever I treat my mom to a show at the theatre, we usually head to here if we have time to chill before the show and then the Dragon Inn if we fancy a wee tipple after. I haven't experienced the full possibilities offered up by the menu, although it always looks very nice - I can state though, without a shadow of a doubt, that the full English is a satisfying beast of a brekky despite being pricier than the neighbouring Wetherspoons. Coffees and teas have always been satisfying, while soft drinks and other options are available for those who don't like their hot drinks. The bar is also host to the usual array of beers you would expect if you plan on hitting here for a relaxed start to a big night out, and you can expect to get served quickly as the place starts to empty out after 8pm. The table area outside is also a great spot to chill with a drink and people watch whenever we're lucky enough to get a bit of sun.

I know its been reviewed to death but I HAD to write about this place, simply because for people…read morewatching - or at least watching people struggle with the table service concept and grow increasingly cross when their chips fail to materialise - it can't be beaten. The ambiance tends to vary according to what's on at the Hippodrome (which is just over the road) so at Christmas its families having a quick dinner before the panto and at the moment (Dirty Dancing is on) vast swathes of ladies chuckling 'nobody puts baby in the corner' into their white wine spritzers. Actually despite my snippy comments the bar staff are actually pretty good. The food is okay and they have a decent selection of lagers and beers. Opening/closing times are a bit unpredictable - they tend to close earlier if there's nothing on at the theatre.